Geyer warns: Trust in democracy is on the brink!

Geyer warns: Trust in democracy is on the brink!

On June 30, 2025, Volker Geyer, the federal chairman of the dbb, expressed worrying thoughts in Bremen about the rise of anti-democratic forces in Germany. His appeal to politicians was clear: trust must be regained. “People need to be able to trust that their concerns will be heard and that solutions are in sight,” said Geyer. He emphasized that the functionality of the administration is a basic prerequisite for giving citizens back a feeling of security and respect. In his remarks, he noted that many citizens have lost trust in political structures and often no longer feel heard.

In order to restore this trust, Geyer demands, among other things, that no further savings in personnel and resources be made. He also sees rapid digitalization as essential so that employees can carry out their tasks more efficiently. “Successful digitalization not only helps with work, but also to regain the trust of citizens,” he explained. He also pointed out the need not to include civil servants in the statutory pension insurance, as this is seen as an attack on the basic principles of the professional civil service. As a result of his speech, Geyer sent congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the dbb Bremen regional association and acknowledged its challenging and respectable union work.

The role of the state in democracy

The state is the central cornerstone of democracy and organizes social coexistence. If he is not efficient, democratic institutions will be at risk. This is viewed particularly critically when one sees the countless problems in public administration, which often culminate in long procedures, delayed decisions and the lack of visibility of digital administration offerings. According to a report on blog-bpoe.com, the lack of credibility of political promises, such as housing construction, can easily lead to a loss of trust in democracy. An example of this: The traffic light coalition planned to create 400,000 new apartments annually, but in fact there have been fewer than 300,000 since 2021, which undermines the social policy goals.

Another important topic is the modernization of administration. This must be fundamentally reformed in order to increase efficiency and better take into account the needs of citizens. Many of the hierarchical structures that currently exist are outdated and prevent modern administrative management that operates efficiently and in a citizen-oriented manner. Clearly defined political priorities and central responsibilities are required to overcome the challenges.

Digitalization as the key to the ability to act

A crucial point is digitalization. Germany only ranks 18th out of 27 EU member states in e-government status, as the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2023 shows. The Germany Digitalization Index 2023 shows that currently only 53 percent of fairly common administrative services can be processed online - a modest increase of 28 percent compared to two years ago. The inadequate technical infrastructure hinders the implementation of efficient citizen services and must be urgently addressed.

The Federal Climate Protection Act of 2021 requires that climate neutrality be achieved in Germany by 2045. Here too, the authorities must formulate corresponding goals by 2030. In particular, the implementation of modern, energy-efficient technologies and the strategic use of artificial intelligence are seen as key to improving efficiency and transparency. Holistic digitalization and administrative modernization are essential to ensure the state's ability to act in the long term.

Overall, it shows that the path to strengthening democracy leads through the modernization and digitalization of administration. An efficient administration is important not only for citizens, but also for the credibility of political actors. This makes it clear that the state, as a central component of democracy, urgently needs to be reformed in order to meet the challenges of today.

For further information on this topic, we recommend taking a look at the articles at dbb, bpoe and Official mirror.